Bill Cheek - World Scanner Report

REFERENCE DATA

WSR Voice/Business, l;30pm-5:30pm, PDT

Non-holiday weekdays ONLY:....(619) 578-9247

Hertzian Intercept BBS, 5 :30pm- 1:30pm, PDT

Weekdays & 24-hrs weekends:. ..(619) 578-9247
BUS Setup: 1200-28, 800-bps, 8N1, ANSI or TTY.

Index & Table of Contents to WSR always available for
tree download from BBS or S5 for MS-DOS floppy disk
or $5 for a printed hard copy.

WORLD SCANNER REPORT

A Journal of VHF-UHF Radio Technology & Engineering

Published by COMMtronks Engineering at PO Box 262478? San Diego, C A 92196
Publlsher/Kditor: W.D. Cheek, Sr. a.lca. "Dr. Rigormorhs”

Copyright © 1991-94 <A11 Right* Hcser*ed> ISSN 1061-9240

New Reader Information 10 / 4 / 94 -3:53 pm

WELCOME NEW and
RETURNING READERS

Welcome to the "WORLD SCANNER
REPORT", a potent journal on the
technology & engineering of VHF-UHF
scanners. There's nothing like it as you
will find out. We're dedicated to the
utmost in scanning & monitoring of the
airwaves with a prime focus on the
hardware and technology of the equipment.
Other periodicals are great for listing
frequencies; telling "how to push buttons"
and "what to listen for" kinds of things.
The "WSR" is into clipping and snipping
wires, resistors, diodes, and things like
that. We build our own circuits and stick
them in our beloved scanners to create new
or improved functions that either the mfgr's
forgot or didn't want us to have. Time was
when 1 thought several mods would be the
end and there would be nothing else to do.
Boy, was I ever WRONG!

Seeds sprouted in 1982 as I fooled around
in my PRO-2002 and found a place in the
circuit where I could monitor with a
voltmeter for an S-meter function! Then I
found a diode to clip or add (I forget
which) that released the blocked
government band 380-410 MHz. The list
of my initial hacking adventures goes on,
but nothing much came of it for the next
four years. My Life was filled with other
priorities. Scanner hacking took a back
seat until the PRO-2004 plowed onto the
scene in late '86 to seize the scanner
community by storm! Never for $400 had
so much performance and power been put
into a scanner!

The PRO-2004 made all other scanners
obsolete overnight! I placed a standing
order for one upon first hearing word that it
was coming. The great eyecatcher was
Radio Shack’s 1987 catalog headliner,
"Continuous coverage, 760-1300 MHz".
That was in August. 1986, but the PRO-
2004 failed to appear on schedule. Then I
heard over the grapevine that Tandy had
halted sales of the PRO-2004 until the

cellular phone bands had been blocked out
in the units. Then, around September, my
PRO-2004 arrived, packed with a green
slip which stated that a production change
had deleted 825-845 MHz and 870-890
MHz. Ho ho, now! This meant that a
retrofit procedure must have been used to
block the cellular bands and it might well
be undone! Within the hour, clipping a
teeny weeny diode had done it! (D-5 13)
Then, I found other diodes to clip and/or
add which gave other slick functions. Like
100 more channels; 25% speed up; etc.
Then I refined & wrote a detailed
procedure for the casual hobbyist to add
6,000 programmable channels to the PRO-
2004. 1 proposed a magazine article for this
mod, but the Publisher suggested a book;
what is now Vol-1 of the SCANNER
MODIFICATION HANDBOOK. The rest
is legend.

The PRO-2005 and later the PRO-2006
entered the scene ( and now the PRO-2035)
but these are only enhanced clones of the
PRO-2004 so my work goes on. Thanks to
wide acclaim and acceptance of my first
book, I was motivated to develop more
mods and info for Vol-2 of the SCANNER
MODIFICATION HANDBOOK series.

Meanwhile, I received thousands of letters
from people who cried out for MORE. As I
completed Vol-2, I felt that books weren't
always the best way to convey technical
information. It takes months to write, edit,
print and distribute a book. Some mods in
Vol-1 were out dated or obsolete before the
first book rolled off the press. There had to
be a better way. The “ WORLD SCANNER
REPORT' was bom on January 1, 1991.

Newsletters are adept at disseminating
timely information and updating that info
practically over night. The way technology
advances so rapidly makes the "WORLD
SCANNER REPORT" a much better
medium for staying in touch with your
hobby radio needs and requirements. You
get the latest scanner hacking news and
info, sometimes within days or weeks of its
development. So there it is for the history
and background of "WORLD SCANNER

REPORT". Now, let's dig into some
policy, admin and procedural stuff so that
valuable space isn't taken up in the monthly
issues. Save this sheet for reference.

SUBSCRIPTION & PUBLICATION DATA~

The "WORLD SCANNER REPORT" is
published monthly ten times per year, with
the months of May-June and Nov-Dcc
generally getting a single issue in that
period. Our month off (twice a year) helps
ensure that you get the best technical
scanner scoop available! It's not vacation
because complicated projects require
intense concentration and focus. I use May
and November to work on hairy projects.

The "WSR" is mailed on or around the first
of a month for the month of issue. If you
haven't received yours by the 20th, then an
inquiry is welcome. We will replace any
issue that is lost or damaged in the mails.
Please return damaged copies so that we
can complain to the PO.

It is preferred that all subscriptions begin
in Jan or July and end in May or Not - of
each year. This minimizes admin costs and
helps us prepare an accurate budget for
coming issues. If this method is a problem
for you, just let us know; we're not hard to
get along with. Otherwise, you'll receive
back issues to the most recent semi-annual
cutoff point when you subscribe.

BACK ISSUES ALWAYS AVAILABLE

You will want the "WSR" back issues, each
of which has detailed technical data & info
that will not be repeated. The "WORLD
SCANNER REPORT" will not go out of
date like typical newspaper and magazine
articles. A collection of the "WSR" will
eventually resemble a Vol-3 of my
SCANNER MODIFICATION HANDBOOK
Its value will not degrade with time;
therefore gel the back issues if your budget
affords so you can stay current with the
emerging science and art of Scanner
Hacking. I will stock the back issues for as
long as there is demand. A current Index
and Table of Contents arc always available,
free for download from our BBS or $5 on
floppy disk or printout.

YOUR MAILING LABEL

Check your mailing label for correct
spelling of your name and address. Note
the upper right comer of the label where
your expiration date is printed. That
month is the LAST ISSUE you will receive
unless you renew your subscription on or
before that time. If you're late in renewing,
no problem; we'll make sure you get any
missed issues after you renew. Also sec
your subscription number in the upper left
corner. Please mention that number if you
write to us. This is the computer age, and
computers handle numbers. To us, you are
a person, a hobbyist and our valued client.
Our computer secs you as a number, but
WE treat you as an individual. Ok?

TELEPHONE and
CORRESPONDENCE POLICIES

The phone is reserved for business. Please,
no phone calls for chatting, hobby
questions & answers and general lip-
flapping. We absolutely do not provide
technical and hobby support over the
telephone. Phone calls never come when
convenient and I can ill afford disruptions
to my concentration. My time is rigidly
scheduled for survival and existence. I
ALWAYS make time to answer electronic
mail on our BBS so use it. I also
electronically communicate via FidoNet,
CompuServe and the InterNet. About the
best I can do with US Mail
communications is let my administrative
department handle it as best they can. Our
mailbox is flooded with questions on
everything from resistor color codes to
hacking the ICOM R-9000. The volume of
this mail makes it impossible for me to
answer very many, if any. See our separate
brochure for more details on telephone and
correspondence policies. If you have an
urgent need for assistance, there are ways I
can help you; just NOT by phone or mail.

HACKING INFORMATION
ABOUT YOUR SCANNERS

1 wish it were possible to have a list of
twenty mods for every scanner ever made,
but it isn't. I can't count the inquiries I've
had over the last year like, "Do you have
any mods for my Rattlesnake XR-99
scanner?" No, I don't. Maybe someday,
and if so, they'll appear in the "WORLD
SCANNER REPORT" or maybe in Vol-3
of my book, when 1 write it. Specific mods
for specific scanners are in Vols 1 & 2 of
my SCANNER MODIFICATION
HANDBOOKS and in the issues of the

"WSR". With time, the list will grow.
Some of my mods can be adapted to other
scanners, but I can't usually take time off to
write up every gory detail of a mod for less
popular or outdated scanners. As I develop
various mods, I will offer suggestions for
applying the principles to other scanners.
But since I haven't the time or resources to
work on every scanner ever made, there's
no way I can do justice to them all. If you
ask my help to apply a certain mod to your
scanner, you & I both will first have to
have the Service Manual, and then I have
to have the time. Normally, I will try to
make the time if doing so will eventually
benefit others, too. That's the bottom line
for my being here. For the most part, I have
to concentrate on scanners which are
hackable to begin with. Older scanners
and lower budget models are not highly
modifiable. They are bare bones and you
can't draw blood out of turnips.

I will try to make
time to offer
suggestions on how
to do certain things
to certain scanners
but it is essential that
I have a complete
legible copy of the
Service Manual
before I can give
personalized guidance. If I don't have the
Service Manual, (and I have them only for
some of the more popular, current models),
then you have to provide me with one. You
first have to be able to help yourself. This
all begins with us having the Service
Manual(s) for your scanner(s).

PLEASE COMMUNICATE

The "WSR" isn't a one-way media. I need
to hear from you, especially about what's
new. I'm not always the first to catch the
latest on what's happening or when
something new comes out. Most publishers
don’t pay attention to the technology of
scanners, so lots of ideas, concepts,
products, mods and other exciting things
could be new on the tech scene and I may
not know about them for a time. You
might know bits, pieces or even chunks of
stuff about which my ignorance would
shine. Help me help others by sharing any
"inside" scoop about new things, especially
products and mods. A small newsletter
like the "WORLD SCANNER REPORT"
depends on its "reporter network" and you
play a strong role in that network.

One of the best ways we can communicate
in person, is on my BBS. Just because I

don’t take telephone calls or answer paper
mail doesn't mean I left the planet. To the
contrary, 1 am available more than ever;
just more efficiently with some new wavs.

I do see all material of interest submitted by
Readers and I act on most, even though a
personal reply is not always possible.

I use the READER MAIL forum in the
pages of the “ World Scanner Report ” to
share with others what you share with me.

It is in the pages of the WSR where we can
have some great conversations. Use it!

QUESTIONS OF COST

A couple of readers have questioned the
cost of the "WSR". Good. It's more or less
costly than other rags but there are hidden
costs to the technology on which we focus.
You see, our scanner mods and technology
can't be found in other rags nor on the shelf
at your local radio store. Writing the WSR
involves much more than sitting at the
keyboard for a few
days. Other news-
letters require little
more of their editors
than basic copy-
typing. You can't
imagine the behind-
the- scenes effort
required to present a
simple modification.
It first has to be conceived; planned:
developed; built; tested; debugged:
perfected and then written. Every step is
costly and the freight has to be paid. But
think about it; if you do only one mod a
year to your scanner you'll probably get
your money's worth. No matter; the
"WSR" is affordable; it's good, it's rare and
it’s unique and it will get better without the
price unnecessarily going up on you.

WRITERS & COLUMNISTS WANTED

The "WORLD SCANNER REPORT" is
always on the lookout for news and info to
pass along to the scanning community. If
you have a special interest, expertise, or
experience level from which others could
profit, then there may be an opportunity for
you to launch your writing career for fiin. if
not profit. The pay is poor (0); the hours
are what you set; but the intangible rewards
could make your cup runneth over. Free
subscriptions and other perks available to
those who will commit to regular writing.
Subject matter is wide open; not everything
has to be a modification! We are conveyors
& purveyors of information. No one can do
it all; it takes a team and you are invited to
participate either full or part time!

| IQ/V1.1~3:?:- PM|

September, 1986

The PRO-2004 launched a revolution!
It's still a great scanner today!